OEN NewsHow a “risk-averse” auditor became a solo startup founder solving industry burnout
Shannon Smith did not set out to be a startup founder. While working as a CISA-certified IT auditor, taking big risks wasn’t high on her list; as she says, most in the auditing and accounting world tend to be risk-averse. She also held a role at a startup in security compliance, which offered “good lessons in iterating,” she says.
“Auditing work is so often black and white, but everything at a startup is grey,” Smith says. “You can’t be perfect at risk mitigation in these scenarios, so the question becomes ‘How do we iterate on it?'”
Many auditing professionals experience burnout in their careers, and Smith is no exception. She says the problem is not that those in the field aren’t good at what they do; it’s that the typical manual processes required are unsustainable.
In 2024, Smith was in the midst of a job search when a colleague approached her with an idea for a startup. Smith found herself “one foot in and one foot out” on the idea, resonating with the problem personally but not convinced the entrepreneurship path was the right one for her.
Then she started talking to other auditors.
After nearly 100 discovery calls, Smith heard that her frustrations and struggles in the auditing world were not unique. “It was validating that my pain was felt across the board,” she says. “Knowing that I had the ability and knowledge to solve this was encouraging.”
Ironically, the colleague with the initial idea for the startup bowed out at this point, concerned about the risks. Smith, however, had decided she was all in. The auditor who hadn’t set out to take big risks was now willing to take one herself. She continued on as a solo founder and Yak Tech was born.
Yak Tech streamlines and automates the audit process. The platform brings reports, workflows, checklists, requests, evidence, testing, and reviews into one connected space. Auditors are able to use Yak Tech to document, share, and coordinate with clients instead of sending spreadsheets back and forth or stitching together multiple systems to get work done.
The goal is not simply to digitize existing audit processes, but to reduce the manual work that makes audits so time-consuming in the first place. Yak was built around the way auditors actually work, helping firms connect the pieces of an engagement and reduce duplication, reconciliation, and administrative overhead.
Yak Tech also leverages an AI tool that runs a first-level review of client documents to flag potential issues for auditors. “It still requires auditor review, to have their judgment on it,” Smith explains. “The AI automates the preliminary steps, and the auditor is the one who actually checks off the approval.”
The platform currently supports SOC 1, SOC 2 and HIPAA review processes, and is working to add PCI and ISO auditing capabilities. Auditors can also utilize cross-framework mapping for repeat clients using different audit types. A recently launched SharePoint integration gives auditors the ability to work with documents within Yak Tech and reduces the risk of duplication and errors.
Since launching, Yak Tech has been named a 2025 Accounting Today top new product and won the Columbia River pitch and the Bend Venture Conference early-stage track. As the company explores additional funding and investors, Smith says the support from the Oregon tech and startup community has been important. “Organizations like OEN have given us opportunities to secure funding,” she says. She also pointed to networking with the community at TAO as helpful.
As Smith looks ahead to what’s next for Yak Tech, she says facing the risks head-on has been worth it. She spent 18 months as a solo founder before bringing in additional team members, and is excited about continuing to make life better for auditors. Yak Tech was recently awarded the 2026 Angel Oregon Technology (AOTech) program’s equity investment, adding $180,000 to the company’s funding. Smith is grateful for the investors, colleagues, customers, and advisors who have believed in Yak Tech along the way.
“Being a founder means you can have the best thing that’s ever happened to your company and the absolute worst thing occur in the same hour,” Smith says. “It’s a real roller coaster, and I am proud of our team’s perseverance and where we’re going.”
Produced by A.wordsmith for OEN
